


Colours

by jell_0_shot



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-10 02:36:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4373954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jell_0_shot/pseuds/jell_0_shot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of Benslie fluff based on colours that were sent to me by some of my followers on Tumblr</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Orange

It was eight o’clock by the time Leslie got home. She'd stayed late working on proposals and spreadsheets and budgets; she was just about ready to collapse. As she opened the front door, an unfamiliar smell tickled her nose. Then she realised what it was.

“Ben! Ben!” She exclaimed, barging into the kitchen “Something’s on fire! Ben?”

Ben came running from the living room, flailing his arms around in an attempt to quiet his wife. He took her hand and led her back to where he had been. A fire was roaring in their dainty potbelly fireplace. Leslie’s entire being warmed, and the flames were licking the walls orange. 

“I decided we should actually use this thing. It’s kind of romantic.” He leant over and kissed her cheek. 

The oven beeped and Ben hurried to the kitchen. “Take a seat, put your feet up!” He yelled after himself. 

Leslie grabbed a pillow from the couch and lay on the ground facing the fire. She could feel the heat on her face; it was uncomfortable yet oddly relaxing, as if it were burning her stress away. 

Ben came back with dinner and joined her on the floor.

“Where are the kids?” Leslie began to eat, feeling unbelievably thankful that she’d chosen this man to marry.

Ben finished his mouthful, “They’re upstairs falling asleep to Finding Nemo. I think it’s their tenth time watching that film. I swear if I cry over that damn fish one more time –“

She couldn’t help but laugh at him, rubbing his knee sympathetically with a mock tenderness on her face. He laughed back at his own silliness. The food was finished quickly, but they didn’t move for hours. 

Leslie smiled, “I’m warm.”


	2. Purple

Ben and Leslie were very, very drunk. 

Leslie had four glasses of snake juice, a tequila shot and another unidentified drink. Ben had started on beer and, once tipsy enough, had ended up with whiskey. 

They were standing on their front door step, giggling. Leslie had been trying to find the keys for the last five minutes, without success. Every time she thought she’d found them, it turned out to be a stolen shot glass from the club or a bobby pin.

“Leslie, hurry! I really have to use the phiz wallace!” Ben whined, crossing his legs.

Leslie lifted her head to meet Ben’s eyes. Hers were riddled with worry; genuine concern. 

“Oh no! Benjiminny! Are you going to be okay?” 

A goofy grin was pasted on Ben’s face as he retorted, “Leslieminny.”

They both lent over with laughter until bent over became lying on the floor. Ben shifted onto his side and grabbed Leslie’s arm.

“Oh my god, b-babe.” Ben slurred, “What if we just…like…slept out here all night?” 

Leslie was in love and intoxicated. “That is probably the best idea I have ever heard…” She cupped her hands around his face, “in my life.” Adrenaline was mapping itself throughout her veins, spurred on by the alcohol and the cold and Ben’s body lying so close to her.

She shuffled closer to him, pushed him onto his back and flung her leg over his. Ben looked up at her straddling him blankly, and then threw his hands around her head to draw her in. Leslie giggled into to each kiss, the entire make out a clumsy mess. 

Leslie rested her head on his shoulder. Ben was the only thing in the world that wasn’t spinning.

“You know what you are? You’re my anchor. Like a ship.” She hiccupped. 

“I don’t like the ocean.” Ben was trying to push Leslie off, but his arms were weak with liquor. 

“Babe, I still really have to pee!”


	3. Red

Leslie Knope was like velvet.

Once you started feeling her, you couldn’t stop. Her texture was irresistible.

Ben ran his fingers up and down her spine as she kissed his neck.

Lazy Sunday sex was often the highlight of Ben’s week. Full of sleep and love, they fumbled in the sheets as quietly as they could. Now that they had the triplets, these early Sunday mornings were sacred to them.

For the next few minutes, Leslie was a gasping mess until she snuggled into Ben’s side and caught her breath on his shoulder. Ben pressed his lips onto her forehead and smiled.

They lay there in silence. Leslie felt very strongly about silence. She often asked Ben, how on earth do you expect your brain to remember this perfect moment if you’re clogging up the air with noise?

“Tell me what you dreamed about.” Ben asked, eventually breaking the quiet. 

She looked up at him, “You.”

“Really?”

Leslie drew patterns on his bare chest and nodded. He kissed her forehead again, then asked what the time was. 

Slowly, Leslie shuffled to the side of the bed and picked up her watch. “Eight thirty. The kids will be up soon, I’ll go and start on the waffles.” 

Leslie swung her legs around and let them dangle off the edge, willing herself to move. Nothing happened.

“Beeeen, I don’t want to move.” Leslie moaned.

He sat up and moved closer to her, his chest against her back. He placed light kisses on her skin, starting at the top of her shoulder and moving up her neck. Then he grabbed his dressing gown and smiled at her.

“I’ll do it, babe.”


	4. Pink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during "Road Trip", Ben buys Leslie roses before he meets her for the trip...but does he have the confidence to actually give them to her?

Someone had once told Ben that you only give red roses to a girl that you love. As much as he liked Leslie, he wasn’t quite there yet. The yellow ones seemed like more of a friendship gesture, or something you bought your grandmother. Fuck, he thought, what’s the in-between? 

He spotted a small bunch of pink roses in the corner of the dainty flower shop that he was in. He breathed a sigh of relief; they were perfect for her. He handed a few notes to the florist and told her to keep the change. He was feeling generous.

He had ten minutes before he was supposed to be meeting Leslie. He drove there lazily, tossing around images of her in his head. He felt elated; Chris’ trip was providing him with the perfect opportunity to tell Leslie how he truly felt. 

He pulled up outside her house and saw her fluttering around inside. He couldn’t stop the smile that stretched across his face. He could feel adrenaline pumping through his veins, just the sight of her drove him crazy. He grinned at the roses and started to plan his entrance.

All of a sudden his stomach dropped; he lost all of the confidence that had driven him into that flower shop. He grabbed the bouquet and stuffed it into the boot, hidden from sight.

“Hey.” Leslie appeared in front of him as he slammed the boot shut. 

“Oh, hey. So…” Ben felt nervous, his palms were sweaty. He couldn’t think of anything else to say; he was distracted by how cute she looked in a tracksuit. 

“So?” Leslie squinted up at him, “Should we go?” 

He nodded too vigorously, “Yeah.” 

While he loaded her case into the trunk, his eyes skimmed over the roses and he was torn about what to do once again. As he got into the driver’s seat, he shot Leslie a quick smile, barely concealing his fondness and frustration.

Leslie Knope was driving him crazy.


	5. Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A drabble about Ben and Leslie's honeymoon

“What’s the worst that could happen?” She squinted up at him, her hand shielding her eyes.

“Well, we could be eaten by sharks.” He glanced at the ocean, “Or drown…a stingray could kill us, or even a whale… a giant squid could strangle us…” He trailed off, knowing how ridiculous he sounded but unable to shake off the unease he felt about the sea. He looked at Leslie apologetically, “I’m sorry.”

Leslie pouted. The beach was buzzing with tourists and little kids running wild with miniature spades. Her skin was red-hot from the sun, begging to cool off in the shallow waters. Ben could sense her disappointment and decided that now was as good a time as any to face his fear.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the sand towards the glossy waves.

She protested, “Ben, we don’t have to to go in if you don’t want to. We can go and relax by the pool again, or something…” 

But he was determined to make his wife happy. My wife, he smiled. That was never going to get old. “We’re in Hawaii, I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to not go for a swim in the sea.” He grinned at her. 

They waded in together, hand in hand. Although Ben was the one taking charge, his hold around Leslie’s palm was tight. He was breathing loudly, eyes darting. 

Leslie slowly bent towards the water, cupped her hand around the liquid and swiped in Ben’s direction. Ben’s face was slapped with salt. 

“What was that for?” He asked, wiping his eyes. Once he could see again, he realised the cheeky grin that was plastered to her face. Two can play at that game. 

After ten minutes of water fights and laughter and salty kisses, Ben tilted his head back and let himself float for a while. He closed his eyes against the burning rays; a blanket of red covered the inside of his lids. The water touched him, overlapping his limbs. Each splash calmed his anxiety, drowning out every last inch of panic that had been tightening his body.

The blue waves were gifting him clarity, and he suddenly realised: he loved this women and now he had a lifetime of moments like these to look forward to.

“Babe?” He asked, keeping his eyes shit. She murmured a peaceful response, “Mhmm.”

“This isn’t so bad after all.”


	6. Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leslie is there for Ben, even in the darkest of times

As much as Sonia loved her brothers, she savoured these moments that weren’t filled with constant teasing and fart noises. She’d fixed herself a snack after school and had been sprawled out on the couch watching Project Runway – Aunty Ann had been nagging her to watch it for months – for almost two hours. 

“Sonia? Wesley? Steven? Can you all help me with the shopping, please?” Leslie’s voice waffled through the house from the garage. 

“It’s just me, the boys are at Kyle’s house.” Leslie nodded and handed her a shopping bag. Once all of the food was on the kitchen bench, she asked Sonia where her father was.   
She shrugged, “I’ve been watching Project Runway all afternoon so I’m not sure.” 

Leslie’s eyes glowed as she rambled on about how she must call Ann immediately and give her constant updates about her feelings from every episodes. She left the room (but not before a Tim Gunn impression) in search of Ben. 

He was lying on the floor of their bedroom, eyes on the ceiling. They were empty; void of emotion. The curtains had been pulled to, shrouding the room in blackness. 

“Babe?”

He blinked and she could just make out the ring of red around his rims. She lay down next to him. After five minutes went past, she asked what was wrong. 

His voice was a croak, “They cancelled Game of Thrones.”

“Oh no.” Leslie’s voice was deep. 

The inside of Ben’s head had become a dark wasteland over the last few hours. He’d tried to find the energy to write an emotional message for his blog, but the floor was keeping him. 

“Well at least you have 20-odd seasons to re-watch, and you’ll always have your fanfiction. I’m going to make you some calzones.” She had planned many things in her life; how to help her husband cope with the cancellation of his favourite show was one of them, of course. She turned on his Billy Joel playlist and left him curled in a ball on the floor. 

“My life is pointless, Leslie.” He whined after her.

Sonia was putting the shopping away in the pantry when Leslie returned. She asked what was wrong.

“Code Black. Your father is having a meltdown because Game of Thrones has been cancelled.” She rifled through the last bag of food, “Give him some twizzlers and see if that helps.” She smiled at her daughter and handed her the packet. She started making the calzones, reminding herself that despite his melodramatic reaction, she owed it to him to try and help.

After all, he was the one that had played with her hair for three hours as she sobbed over Dumbledore dying again.


	7. RED

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even Ben and Leslie fight sometimes

Ben had dragged the oldest leather chair that he could find into their bedroom and positioned it so that it faced the door. He’d found some whiskey in the kitchen and poured himself a glass, with no intention of actually drinking it. He was creating a look.

He’d been sitting in the chair for almost two hours when Leslie finally walked through the door. Her pantsuit was grey and her hair was tired. She barely acknowledged him at first, but the seat caught her eye.

“Babe, what are you doing?” Her head tilted to the left. “Why are you drinking whiskey? You hate whiskey.”

“We had dinner reservations at eight.” He made sure he sounded curt.

Leslie took off her jacket and walked towards their bed. “Oh shoot, was that tonight? Sorry.” She dismissed the conversation. She asked him about the whiskey again.

Annoyed, Ben explained how he was trying to create an image of the angry husband waiting for his wife to come home. “And you being so flippant about missing dinner isn’t helping. I waited there for you like an idiot for half an hour.”

Leslie groaned.

They didn’t fight very often, but lately there had been more and more tension between them. Ben could feel himself boiling. He stood up. He could hear the bitterness in his voice, “Do you even care about how I feel anymore? I barely ever see you and when I do, your mind is on other things. I want my wife back.”

“I have had the longest day at work, Ben. Give me a break.”

Ben couldn’t stop himself from glaring at the woman he loved. He was fuming at her lack of emotion, considering how passionate she usually was about absolutely everything.

“I understand that work is hard and you are still getting used to all of your responsibilities, but the least you could have done is spare me an hour for dinner.” His teeth were gritted. 

“I’m the president of the United fucking States, Ben. I’ve got more important things to worry about than dinner.” Leslie didn’t scream, but the ice in her tone was enough to freeze the room.

Ben nodded and picked up his pillow. He was angry and he was defeated.

“I’ll sleep somewhere else tonight.”


	8. White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following on from the previous chapter, white is the colour of peace and surrender...

It took Leslie three entire days to realise that she had been in the wrong. She’d been blinded by exhaustion and the overwhelming feelings that accompany being the president. Why can’t he understand how much pressure I am being put under? But ultimately she knew she had neglected him, and she felt terrible.

Asking him to come to the dining room was slightly awkward as they’d barely spoken two words to each other since Thursday, but Ben could tell she was trying so he obliged. 

“I know it’s not the restaurant that you wanted to go to, but not everyone can have a fancy dinner at the White House. I figured we should make the most of it.”

“It’s perfect.” He meant it.

The waiters brought out four meals, placing two in front of Ben and two in front of Leslie. Ben raised her eyebrows at her, inquisitively.

“One for tonight, and one to make up for last time.”

His eyes creased with his smile and he shook his head lovingly, laughing. “I love you.”

They spent the whole evening together, eventually moving onto the couch to cuddle. Leslie sighed; she felt pure and peaceful.

“Oh! I almost forgot…” Leslie announced suddenly. “Now, I know I haven’t been acting myself lately. I’ve been under more stress than ever before and I haven’t been handling it very well.” She grinned knowingly at him, “So I made a colour-coded binder with a plan on how we can keep this marriage alive whilst I run the country.” She handed it over to him. 

“This is incredibly in-depth.” He smiled.

“Hold on -” Ben pointed to Section A, “This says that the first step is to ‘make out a lot’.” Ben looked up excitedly, but Leslie was already giggling her way to the bedroom.

Yes, he thought, I have her back.


End file.
